1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of dental care, and more particularly to a toothbrush having a replaceable floss bundle instead of bristles, to polish teeth and clean gums, and also having a replaceable toothpick.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional toothbrushes are equipped with hard, resilient bristles, the tips of which slide across tooth surfaces to remove debris. These hard, sharp tips can cut soft gum tissue, particularly where no water is available to wet and lubricate bristles. Although some tooth polishing can be accomplished in conjunction with an abrasive toothpaste, bristle tips do not provide the broad surface contact necessary for achieving a good polish. Since these hard bristles have little or no absorption capacity, their ability to remove stains is also limited. Finally, the bristles are reused from one cleaning to the next, and bristles damp from one use become a fertile breeding ground for bacteria. Thus the conventional bristles can become unsanitary. The latter can also be said of the conventional rubber toothpicks permanently mounted at the base of the handle.
All of these conventional shortcomings are exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,518. This patent, issued to Furrier, et al, in 1981, discloses essentially a typical toothbrush with bristles embedded in one end of a handle and a rubber toothpick permanently mounted at the other end.
As to inventions related to dental floss use, these generally have been confined to securing a single strand or segment of floss between two points to facilitate insertion of the floss between teeth. These devices are therefore, by their construction and purpose, restricted to cleaning interfacial tooth surfaces only. Examples of such common devices are: Kuo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,336, which discloses a floss storage spool and a strand segment holding fork; Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,403, which also discloses a strand segment holding fork, at the end of a handle and comprising a screw mechanism for securing the ends of the floss strand; Gambaro, U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,518, which teaches a C-shaped strand segment holding member, attached to one end of handle having several circumferential rows of cleaning bristles at the other end; and Uriss, U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,823, which discloses a C-shaped strand holder, handle, and enclosed floss spool which feeds the strand holder through a channel in the handle. Turner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,035, discloses a complicated toothpick holder and tubular handle, wherein the toothpick is secured in the adjustable hook apparatus.